First Camping Trip of the Year

      We usually go camping around Dave's birthday every year. The first couple of years we did, it was just coincidence that it coincided with his birthday, but now we plan it that way. This year we decided to branch out and go some where we hadn't been before. Roan Mountain State Park. We knew there might be some rain that weekend, but decided to go for it anyway.
     

       The park is beautiful; full of babbling brooks and rhododendrons, and everything was so green! We soon found out why. As soon as we had set up, it started to rain, and continued to rain until well into the evening. We found out that even if it wasn't raining a few miles away, as soon as you got into the park, the drizzling would start. Everything was saturated, but oh, so lush.
   

          All the rain would have been fine, if it wasn't for the pop up leaking. Rain started pouring in from the roof and the sides. We were all a little damp. Fortunately, my brother-in-law came to the rescue with zip tape (duct tape on steroids) and saved us from a second night of dripping.

       The next day was beautiful, and the kids discovered that this was the ideal habitat for red-spotted efts. They showed up at the camp site with their hands overflowing with the little orange salamanders.

     They were jarred long enough to observe them, then set free.

     The rest of the day was spent playing in the river, and taking Chestnut for short jaunts around the campground, until it was time to have supper and roast some smores over the camp fire. 

     

Camping and Biking

    You know how you don't appreciate the things that are right in front of you?  I grew up just a few miles from the Virginia Creeper Trail, and never biked it.  I go back to visit several times a year, and never have thought to plan a biking trip, and probably never would have, if a friend of mine hadn't said, "We need to to bike the Creeper! Lets do it this spring."  Well, spring turned into summer, but last weekend we finally did bike the Creeper!  We had a blast, and I cannot believe it has taken me so long to do it.

     We camped out at my parents, up in what we call the "Hollow". My parents, not being natives to the area, refused to call it a "hollar" like everyone does.  We brought our "new to us" pop up camper, which I love more and more every time we camp.  Being able to sleep while camping is wonderful!

     My brother, David, was working on the house that he's building while we were up there.  He had a back hoe out, excavating what will be his cellar.  After we got back from camping, Samuel, lured by the sound of heavy equipment, went to go watch David work.  A couple of hours later, he comes back into camp and says, "Guess what, Mommy? Uncle David let me operate the back hoe." What!?  That turns out to have been his favorite part of the whole trip.  Even more fun than the front loader rides all the kids got.

Father's Day

     Yesterday we celebrated Father's Day and Midsummer's Night Eve with supper and marshmallows around the bonfire, and then a sun cake.  We also said goodbye to our chick, as a friend came and got them.  All in all, a pretty good day, and a good beginning for summer.

Snow!

     We finally have snow!  After an unusually mild winter, it has turned cold and snowy.  The kids are ecstatic, and I have to admit that I am happy about it too.  The endless rain and mud was getting me a little down.
     Yesterday, we had what the kids call "snowman snow"; wet and sticky. They built a snowman, went sledding, and had snowball fights, until Samuel started dropping giant snowballs off the deck onto Abriel and Anna. They came in soaked and crying, and had to have a warm bath. 

     Today, after the snow we received last night, everything was powdery, cold, and crunchy.   The snowman's face had been obliterated.  Samuel and Abriel tried to spruce it up, but found that even the hat was frozen to it.

      They decided that today was a good snow ice-cream day, so Anna made a big batch after she had tended to the chickens.

    I am trying to ignore the fact that snow ice-cream is just dirty ice crystals.  I just hope she was really careful about where she got the snow. There's a lot of chicken poo around, hidden by the snow.  Hazards of free-range chickens.

Anna at her concert

     Anna had her Christmas band concert last night.  She's been playing for about a year and a half, and she is doing so well.  Here is a picture showing her intense concentration.  

 

     I'm not sure who the girl in braids is, but Samuel informed me that he intends to marry her one day.  Of course, he says that about a lot of girls.

Summer in Winter

     It has been so unseasonably warm lately.  It's been in the sixties all week, and today it got up to seventy.  I mowed the yard in a tank top... in December!  It doesn't really feel like Christmas, but hey, I'm not complaining.  I hate the cold.  In fact, it felt so nice today, that I decided to have a little bonfire. 

     We roasted sausages and watched the flames as it got dark.  Listening to the sounds of the chickens bedding down for the night, and noting the absence of night noises, as it is after all, December, and all the insects know that. 

Anna is 12

     Anna had her birthday this weekend.  I can't believe she is twelve, and already becoming a lovely young lady.  When I started this blog she was six, same as the twins are now.  I feel like I've had this blog for maybe a couple of years, and their is no way I can have an almost teenager.  But I do...
    Happy Birthday, Anna.  May all your wishes come true.   (Practical mommy disclaimer: As long as they are helpful and beneficial to you. )

Popping Off Pumpkins

     What do you do when your Jack O' Lanterns are getting a little gooey?  Target Practice!

Ready,

 

Aim,

 

 

 Fire!

July 4th!

     Last year the Fourth was a bit of a let down because it rained all day, (I think it rained every day last summer) and we didn't really do anything.  This year made up for it though, as it was a very fun filled Independence Day. 
     The day before, we all tie dyed t-shirts in red and blue.  I forgot to wear gloves, and so my hands were very blue for the Fourth. In fact, they are still a little blue, and probably will be tomorrow for church. 
      We started the day off with a picnic in the mountains.  Everyone is huddled up because it is sooo cold.  (Every one looks very cute in their tie dyed shirts. Even I wore one, although I am not a tie dye wearing person, normally.)

Every time we go up to the parkway, I forget how cold it is, and every time I say, "Next time I will bring jackets." But of course I forget, and we freeze.  After we ate and were able to move around some, it was better.  Of course you have to have

watermelon when you're on a picnic, even if it makes you that much colder than you already are. 

Eating a wrap in the sunshine makes you feel better, though.

     The highlight of our picnic was getting to see a red squirrel for the first time.  It was so little, at first we though it was a baby grey squirrel, but after closer inspection I realized it was a red squirrel.  It has to be the cutest animal ever.  I did get a picture, but it didn't turn out well enough to bother posting here. 

     After the picnic, (and taking a nap) the kids had strawberry ice cream with blueberries as a special treat. 

      As it got close to dusk, we went down to the lake to watch the fireworks. 

 While we were waiting for it to get dark, we lounged on a quilt and ate hot dogs, while I read Alicia Dagliesh's The Fourth of July Story.  I always try to put the focus on why we celebrate different holidays, as oppose to making it all about the celebrations. 

When the kids got tired of sitting, they played silly made up games with each other and danced to the music.  Finally, the sky turned dark, and it was time for the fireworks to start. When the first few explosions began, frightened ducks skimmed across the lake like torpedoes.  Abriel freaked out, and made a bee line for her Daddy, while Samuel hunkered behind me, shaking violently.  He said he was scared the sparks were going to fall on him.  Poor little guy.  After I explained how there was no way the sparks would hit us, he calmed down. Then his ever inquisitive mind began questioning everything.  "Can the fireworks reach the moon? Can they hit the the stars? Does God see the fireworks? How do they go up and then explode out? What makes the sound?  Why are they different colors?"  And on, and on, and on.  His brain never turns off.

     In between answering his questions as best as I could, I got to watch the fireworks.  The best part about fireworks at the lake is that you get to see two displays.  One in the air, and another reflected in water.  Simply beautiful.







     Someone had posted this chart on Facebook today, and I started looking through it.  Unfortunately, I tend to look at things like this as checklist, rather than something to help me.  "Are my kids doing this yet? How are they measuring up to what's expected of them?", are what's running through my head.  I'm looking through the 10-11 year old section and thinking about whether or not Anna can sweep out a garage.  I don't know, because we don't own a garage.  So I try to think what the equivalent to that is. "Does the porch count? Maybe if I include the side walks."  Then I stop and think about what I am doing.  The only questions I should be asking is, do my children help me in the ways that I need them to? The answer to that is, yes, for the most part.  Life isn't a check list, (although I do love check lists) and even though Anna doesn't mow the lawn, she's been watching her younger siblings since she was six.  And the twins don't dry and put away the dishes but they can put groceries away and wipe off the table.  Why? because that's what I need them to do.
     This evening Anna was bored and wanted to make cookies.  Baking makes a lot of mess, so I told her if she wanted to make cookies she would have to clean the play room first.  At first she grumbled at this, and I could hear her complaining as she cleaned about the seemingly endless work.  After a few minutes, I could hear her attitude shift.  She stopped complaining and I could hear her singing bits of songs.  In a few minutes she came out in a cheerful mood, saying the playroom was clean, and she was ready to make cookies now.
     I can understand her attitude shift, because I have felt it too many times while cleaning.  At first you hardly know where to start, and it's rather irking that even though you weren't responsible for the mess, you're the one cleaning it.  Then something happens.  You start to see a difference; order coming through the chaos.  The job doesn't seem so hard any more, and you start to find pleasure in it.   
   Anna ended up not only making cookies, but deciding she wanted to make supper for every one as well.

     Seeing her happy contentment and pride at being able to cook a whole meal by herself, confirmed for me that I had done the right thing by making her work before having the pleasure of making a treat.  She went from being bored and mopey, to cheerful and helpful the rest of the evening.  Even children like to know that they are a necessary part for the running of the house-hold.  Anna's supper was delicious too.

Number Four!

     The twins, unbelievably, are now four years old. I can no longer call them my babies, although I do anyways. For their birthday party this year, I decided to have a teddy bear picnic theme. I put a little more work into it than I usually do for Birthday parties. Normally we are very low key, but they were so, so excited about their Birthday, that I kind of got into it too.
Of course, since their Birthday is in February, we had an inside picnic.

    For the food I made teddy bear shaped rolls, mushrooms made from deviled eggs and tomatoes, and chicken salad sandwiches.   I borrowed an idea off pinterest for little acorn treats made with kisses and Ritz bits. 

      To make inside seem woodsy, I moved in some stumps, and put some blankets down for the kids to have their picnic on.  And of course, since you can't go into the woods when the teddy bears are having their picnic without being in disguise, I made all the little ones teddy bear ears.  They looked pretty cute. 

 

 
    

     Samuel, my little ham, posing with his mouth wide open, like he was going to eat the whole cake after the candles had been blown out.  He'll do anything for a laugh or a funny picture.

 

A sea of littles enjoying birthday cake.  The twins are blessed with many cousins (and a nephew) close to their age.  I do not have any cousins near my age, so I think it is great that they get to experience this. 

 

     Here's to four years of having these delightful, silly little people in my life. 

 I love you, Samuel and Abriel.